Who's Ready to Buy Designer 3D Glasses?

This has to stop. I don't know how I became the defacto Cinematical poster for all things 3D, but in less than a week I've gone from hypothesizing about the Oscars creating an awards category for 3D films to sharing my enthusiasm for Zemeckis' A Christmas Carol to raving about how pointless a 3D CGI animated prequel to Night of the Living Dead sounds to the announcement of a new 3D study program at USC's film school. And if that's not enough of the third dimension for one man to take in so short a span, now comes word that Real D has plans to manufacture 3D-wear from designers like Gucci.

Variety has the scoop from the recent 3D Entertainment Summit, "While Real D hasn't made a formal announcement, Real D topper Michael Lewis tipped the story after Fox Sports chairman David Hill said he thought great-looking glasses would change the picture for 3D. "I have two teenaged girls, and they don't want to go on dates looking like they're going to do some spot welding," Hill said." ... "Lewis responded that designer Real D glasses, including Gucci designs, will be available "in certain outlets" before "Avatar" opens in December. Prescription glasses are on the way some time later."

News like this hurts my brain. On the one hand, I can understand the need to accommodate prescription glasses. I used to be a glasses wearer myself, so I know how annoying it is to cram a second pair on top of the first. I understand that prescription glasses would help serve a certain niche of the market, but unless their price point is going to be drastically cheaper than a regular pair of glasses, I can't see how this idea is going to catch on. Paying a couple hundred dollars every other year for something you cannot function without is one thing, but paying an additional couple hundred so you can sit in a theater a few times a year without looking like every single other person in the room? The concept blows my mind.

So, glasses wearers out there? Are you ready to own your own custom pair of 3D glasses? And if so, are you only going to be in the market for designer brand glasses? How important is it what you look like when you're not the center of attention in an already darkened room?

Oh, and parents out there, how important is it that your child have toddler-sized glasses? Because according to Variety, Real D has a line or two of those in the works as well...